Crusader Kings 3 is a game about the weight of power and the expectations of the crown. A lord or lady governs their land, juggles the needs of vassal states, and wages war against neighboring rivals. Compelling stories unfold through a mix of strategic decisions made on the world map and random events starring the ruler, their immediate surroundings, and their subjects.
But what if you didn’t have to worry about authority, royalty, or territory? What if you were a wandering adventurer, a hearty mercenary company, or a handful of cunning kingmakers? Ways of powerthe latest expansion pack for Crusader Kings 3fulfills this fantasy. Players can, as always, choose a Ruler. Or they can start as an Adventurer — a much more humble figure who must live in a camp, scavenge for supplies, and make nice with the local royalty.
I play Agathe Talon, a bold figure who leads a band of female bosses in 1098, traveling between France, Spain, and the Holy Roman Empire. My group, the Mace of Talon, is a bit of a chaotic bunch. We’ll be oppressing your peasants, forging documents for nobles, and/or stealing your maiden. Thanks to a few tweaks to real-life historical settings that Paradox added to its own menu, I’ve made 1098 a much more palatable time, and my female knights are treated with respect… at least until we start robbing the rich.
I start with a super-small party; even a small lord in traditional play can muster a few hundred men, but I have… four. I quickly realize that despite building a character with plenty of martial prowess, I can’t yet commit myself to large-scale conflict. I have to pick up a few stragglers here and there, and many of them are dispossessed women looking for work. As Agathe, I can give them that. There are a wide variety of contracts: kidnappings, escorts, assassinations, civil contracts, and threatening rebellious peasants with the sword. Each contract offers different events and options; one job might go off without a hitch, allowing us to escape at night laden with riches, while another might fall apart (and ultimately fuel the plot).
For example, a local French lord in Toulouse sends me after a bandit woman who lives in the hills. As I talk to her, I realize that instead of letting her fight to the death, I can recruit her. This enrages the lord, who develops a grudge against me. As I grow rich and strong in the southern region of France, he plots against me and eventually sends troops after my merry band of marauders. It’s too late; we’ve packed up and moved to safer grounds in Champagne.
Champagne begins to feel like home; I even seduce the local lady with a joke, convincing her to sleep with my hardened military commander in her own castle. Unfortunately, my rival has followed me and is digging up secrets. He shares this tasty bit of gossip with none other than King Philip, who spreads it far and wide. Shamed and harassed, I must retreat to the Holy Roman Empire, where my reputation is cleaner and work is plentiful. I begin expanding my base, recruiting infantry and cavalry as my men in arms.
The dynamics of an Adventurer run are much more hands-on than a Ruler playthrough. The Ruler has more to do when it comes to managing his kingdom, maintaining a strong council, negotiating romances for his children with other nobles, and ensuring his line of succession. Many of these require him to pore over various menus and panels, and use that information to set long-term bureaucratic goals. An Adventurer doesn’t have to worry about any of that – as long as his camp is healthy and his people are fed, he’s fine.
That said, events like assassination plots, plagues, civil war, and betrayals can still play a role in an Adventurer playthrough. At one point, my camp was struck by malaria, and the disease killed many children and young knights, maimed my heir, and nearly killed Agathe. I’d prefer to see more random events along the way. I’ve run into a necromancer five times in as many hours, and the impact of witnessing a profane ritual wears off when it’s one of the few encounters on the way to a quest.
The Adventurer mode in Ways of power is not nearly as fleshed out as the Ruler game mode, but is incredibly streamlined and much more accessible. If you’re curious about the wild stories that come out of Crusader Kings 3If starting your own empire feels like doing your taxes, then an Adventurer run might be right up your alley.
A large part of Crusader Kings 3 is that death is never the end; in Roads to powerI can choose any descendant of my original Adventurer and pick up the story from there. Agathe and her female boss knights have built up a power base and after her inevitable but tragic death I will let her daughter pursue the goal of claiming her own land. There is something liberating about this much more lighthearted version of the classic Crusader Kings 3 formula and I can’t wait to try out different specialties and stories.